99% Invisible

A Whale-Oiled Machine

Mar 14, 2023

34:38

Creator website

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Whale Oil Is a Very High Performance Lubricant

03:16

Grease Is keeping our machines running

01:39

The American Whaling Industry of the 19th century

00:47

Nye Whale Oil - The Science Guy Guy

02:05

Introduction

5min

The History of Whaling

2min

Nye Whale Oil - The Science Guy Guy

2min

Whale Oil Is a Very High Performance Lubricant

3min

The Life of a Whale Oil Refiner

2min

The End of Nye Lubricants

2min

The Dark Art of Lubrication

2min

Keeping Gamer Satisfied

2min

Is There a Grease in That Box?

2min

10.

ZipRecruiter - The Smartest Way to Hire

4min

11.

Squarespace - The Ultimate Tool for Professionals

2min

12.

What Is a Harpoon?

4min

13.

The Story of the Whaling Industry

3min

14.

What Did Antonio Do When He Arrived in New Bedford?

5min

Back when whale oil was mainly used as a fuel to burn in lanterns and streetlights, an enterprising man named William F. Nye found a new way to sell whale oil to a rapidly changing world: as a lubricant for all the new fangled machines. Nye specialized in specialization- selling different oils for watches, sewing machines, bicycles. Lubrication has had a largely invisible role in the design of the modern world, but its importance cannot be overstated.

A Whale-Oiled Machine

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